2 Afghan soldiers shot dead in Herat

KABUL (PAN): Two Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the western province of Herat, officials said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday evening when the fighters opened fire on the soldiers in Rabat Sangi district and managed to escape, police spokesman, Col. Noor Khan Nekzad, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

A spokesman for the 207th Zafar Military Corps, Col. Najibullah Najibi, confirmed the shooting, Chil Dukhtaran area, saying the soldiers were gunned down in the line of duty.

Nine gunmen, including a kidnapper, had been detained over the past week in the northern province of Takhar, said a spokesman for Kunduz police, Syed Sarwar Hussaini.

One of the men was caught red-handed while kidnapping a 15 years old boy from the Khwaja Gar district of Takhar, he added.

The rescued boy, Abdul Basir, said he was walking to Hazar Bagh area when a man gave him a lift, but armed men later gagged and brought him to Kunduz.